High School DxD: Fox of Ill Omen

Yuki

Kuroka and Biko laughed at my declaration, but I was ready to get between them and Koneko in a heartbeat.

She had gone pale and started shaking in fear as her sister spoke of taking her away and presenting her to the leader of the Khaos Brigade like a tool to be used.

Koneko-chan being scared was enough to make me angry with them, but hearing her sister speak about her like that made me furious.

I was close enough to use Misstep to get Koneko behind me, and I was ready to enter Malediction’s Embrace and attack the two of them.

Issei stepped forward as well.

“Koneko-chan is an important friend of ours! We won’t let you take her away.

“Are you serious?” Biko asked. “It’s very brave of the both of you, but you can’t handle a fight against Kuroka and I. We will be leaving after taking the girl, so you should just walk away.”

“This child is my servant! I will not let you lay a hand upon her!” Rias shouted at them.

“Ara, ara. What are you saying-nya?” Kuroka asked while tilting her head. “She is my sister. I have every right to want to be with her and to love her. A high-class Devil like you doesn’t have the right to tell me what I can or can’t do with my family.”

Kuroka and Rias glared at each other.

I tensed as I readied to move at a moment's notice.

Biko was watching us with a relaxed smile from the side.

We probably couldn’t beat them, but I was not going to let them take Koneko from us.

I didn’t care if they were stronger.

I wouldn’t allow it to happen if Konekon didn't want it.

Kuroka’s smile turned into a wider, malicious grin.

“If you’re going to try and make this more difficult, then I’ll just kill you-nyan~”

As she finished speaking I felt the atmosphere around us jolt with a change.

Nothing visibly changed, but it felt as though we had been transported somewhere else.

Rias’s face tightened.

“…Kuroka. So you learned not only Senjutsu, Youjutsu, and to control the demonic power, but the ability to control space as well?”

Kuroka gave a pleased little smile.

“It wasn’t too hard to learn. The concept is close enough to how I would create a barrier normally, so it made learning quick. I’ve covered this entire forest with a barrier and isolated it from the outside. So even if you make plenty of noise while you struggle, none of the other Devils will notice. Her smile widened. “So be good and let us make your deaths quick-nyan.”

We wouldn't be able to get away from them without breaking the barrier Kuroka created.

It had just gotten much harder for us to get Koneko out of here safely.

Issei and Rias tensed as we got ready for a desperate fight.

Then a voice came from the sky before panic could fully settle in. 

“When I received information that Miss Rias and Hyoudou Issei had come to this forest, I quickly came to see what was going on. To think I would be sealed in by a barrier...”

Everyone looked up

“Tannin-ossan!” Issei shouted excitedly

The old dragon descended through the dark sky above us, immense enough that even Kuroka’s carefully made space seemed to shrink around him.

His presence rolled over the clearing like an incoming storm.

Things were now looking much more in our favor.

I let out a small breath of air in relief.

“What an ominous aura,” Tannin said, looking down at the clearing. “These visitors are not suitable for this party.”

Instead of being worried, Bikou looked delighted at Tannin’s arrival.

“Ohhhh! If it isn’t the former Dragon King, Blaze Meteor Dragon Tannin!” He grinned at Kuroka. “This is already a big problem, Kuroka! We have no choice but to fight now!”

“You’re too happy about this,” Kuroka replied. “But if we are able to take down both Tannin and the Sekiryuutei, then Ophis won’t be able to complain about me bringing back Shirone.

Tannin’s great head lowered slightly. “You seem cheerful for the one that has made me his opponent.”

Bikou laughed. “I’m descended from a legend, you know. I can’t afford to back down when a good fight is offered to me”

Tannin snorted hot breath into the clearing. “In any case, I’ll be your opponent, monkey. Meanwhile, Hyoudou Issei, Miss Rias and her servant will defeat that cat.”

Then Bikou shouted, “Kintoun!”

A golden cloud appeared under his feet.

“Nyoi-Bo!”

A long staff formed in his hands, and a second later he was airborne, rushing up toward Tannin with the kind of eager violence only those who loved to fight ever seemed able to enjoy sincerely.

Tannin met him in the air

The first clash happened in the sky above us so quickly it barely looked real.

The staff extended towards Tannin, but he turned with speed, surprising for something so large.

Then Tannin breathed out a massive gout of flames at Biko, who quickly dodged away.

Tannin chased after him.

Then they were gone from the clearing itself, fighting nearby but far enough above us that we would not be caught up in it.

It also meant that Tannin would not be able to help us with fighting Kuroka.

She watched the sky for one brief moment.

Then she looked back down at us with a bewitching smile and an unmistakably dark aura beginning to seep from her whole body.

“Nyan~” she murmured as her aura deepened around her

This was no longer the almost-playful older sister from the beginning of the meeting.

The killing intent and feel of an evil being radiating off of her was intense

Koneko visibly shivered.

Kuroka’s gaze fell on Koneko again.

“Well then,” she said lightly, as though two monsters were not tearing the sky apart nearby. “Now that the monkey has his toy, you're all mine.”

Rias took one step nearer to Koneko.

Issei lifted his fists and got in a stance.

My tails shifted behind me as I leaned forwards slightly.

Then Koneko stepped forward.

“...Nee-sama, I’ll go with you. Just don't hurt them.”

Kuroka’s smile sharpened.

Rias quickly moved forward and hugged Koneko.

“What are you saying Koneko? You're a member of my family.” Rias said. “I won’t let you leave us like this.”

“...I don’t have another choice.” Konkeo said. “I understand how powerful nee-sama is. Her power is enough to rival that of an ultimate-class Devil. She is too much for us to face… Even with the power of a former Dragon King, my sister's Senjutsu and Youjutsu may still be too much for us to capture her…”

“I won’t let you go with her! She is the one who caused you so much pain in grief before we met. I was there to help you through it! I won’t let her take you away and hurt you again!” Rias said.

“Koneko-chan. We agreed that no one would sacrifice themselves for the rest of us, didn’t we?” I asked. “I remember you being very adamant about it and upset with me. If you try this, we will still fight her, and I will be the one upset with you this time.”

Koneko looked away from me.

“...I don't want her to hurt you. I can't let you be hurt because of me.”

“I will be taking Shirone, whether you all agree to it or not. I want her because I want another piece I can control. Even if one of you is a Youkai, I understand her powers as a Nekomata better than any of you could. I can show her how to use them properly.”

I bristled with anger at what she wanted from her own sister.

She only saw her as something she could control.

Koneko shook her head at her sister.

“No… I don't need you Kuroka-neesama,” She said before glancing at me. “I will learn to use and control my Senjutsu and Youjutsu on my own. I wont let it become a dark power that will control me and bring misfortune to those around me. It will be a tool that I will use to support my new family. I won't end up like you.”

“Ara. Was it the fox that got you to accept your powers that way?” Kuroka asked, tilting her head and looking at me for a moment, “If it makes it easier for you, I could take her too. If we take out the rest of the Devils here, then I’m sure that Ophis and Vali wouldn't mind. Maybe Vali would be interested in the one who interrupted his duel with the Sekiryuutei. So, how does that sound?”

“You won't be taking any one from me!” Rias shouted, before Koneko could reply. “Not Koneko, and not Yuki! Kuroka, you left such a deep wound on Koneko’s heart after you abandoned her. Once you killed your former master and fled, Koneko was left on her own to face the Underworlds wrath. When I first met her, she was like a doll. She had no real emotion and was ready to give up on her life. I made a promise to myself that I would make her smile again, that she would be happy in my peerage, and that I would be there when she experienced so many wonderful things!” Rias said as tears formed in her eyes. “Toujou Koneko is the [Rook] of Rias Gremory! She is my servant, but more importantly she is a member of my family. I will not let you lay a finger on her! We will stop you if you try!”

Issei wiped his eyes as he teared up hearing Rias’s words.

The moment was touching, but I was still focused on Kuroka.

I was waiting for the moment she tried anything. 

“…I don’t want to go with her, Buchou… I’m not Shirone anymore,” Koneko said as she fought back tears. “I’m Toujou Koneko. Kuroka-neesama, I don’t want to leave my friends. I won’t go with you! I want to stay with Yuki-senpai and the others! I want to keep living with Rias-Buchou!”

Rias held her tighter.

Kuroka showed a bitter smile for a moment, before chuckling to herself as she grinned cruelly. 

Her laughter raised the hairs on the back of my neck. 

Then Kuroka spoke darkly.

“Then, die.”

_________________________________________

Issei

As Kuroka spoke she waved her arms forward.

A thick mist spread from her body and quickly began to move towards us.

At nearly the same time, Yuki-san raised one of her hands and fired a bolt at her.

Kuroka chuckled as she quickly leapt up to a stand on a branch in a tree as she dodged the spell.

Yuki-san lifted her other arm to fire another spell when the mist reached us. 

Yuki-san stumbled foward and caught herself on her hands as she dropped to her knees. 

Koneko-chan was on her knees and covering her mouth to keep from breathing in any more.

Buchou had dropped to on knee next to me.

“What is this?” She weakly muttered. 

Only I stayed standing.

“Interesting,” Kuroka said from her position on a tree branch above us.

She must have moved again while I was checking on the others.

“So, my mist doesn’t work on you due to being part Dragon, huh? That’s fine. The others are affected by my poison mist, as it only affects Devils and Youkai. Because I spread it out quickly, the poison was thinned. That means you’ll suffer slowly as it spreads through your bodies-nyan. I won’t kill you quickly. Instead I’ll take my time with you all-nyan~”

It was a rather cruel way to fight, and she seemed to be enjoying the idea of causing suffering way too much.

It was luckily for me that I wasn’t affected, but I would need to do something soon to help the others. 

Bucho pushed herself more upright with visible effort my and fired a volley of demonic power bullets at Kuroka.

They made contact and her body vanishes as the bullets tore into her.

I was ready to celebrate when Yuki-san spoke.

“It was an illusion. She’s still somewhere over there.”

“Very good fox-chan, and good attack Gremory-chan. But your struggles are useless. Creating clones of myself is easy with my powers.” Kuroka said.

Her voice echoed through the trees.

It was impossible to tell exactly where it was coming from. 

The mist thickened around the clearing.

Silhouettes appeared in the mist all around me one after another.

We were surrounded by illusions of Kuroka, and I had no way of telling them apart.

A dim white light began to surround Koneko-chan as she seemed to be trying to fight off the effects of the poison.

“So you have been practicing Senjutsu, Shirone. But it doesn’t look like it will be enough.” Kuroka said, her voice coming from all around us.

Yuki-san’s head toward one of the clones.

Even poisoned, she moved fast.

Her hand came up.

Dark violet-black light gathered around it in an instant and she fired another bolt.

The spell screamed across the clearing towards one of the copies of Kuroka.

The copy quickly raised its hand and created a barrier that deflected the spell at the last moment.

It ricocheted off the shield before blowing a hole through a tree to the side.

That must have been the real Kuroka if she was was using magic and protecting herself.

For the first time since she’d appeared, Kuroka looked genuinely irritated.

“So, you’re able to see through my illusions. It’s good that you can’t handle my poison. Otherwise you’d be much more annoying to deal with.” Kuroka said as more illusions formed around her, obscuring her position again.

Yuki-san fell back to her hands and knees after firing the spell.

She looked like she was about to collapse fully due to the backlash she received while already poisoned.

“[Boosted Gear]!” I shouted.

My gauntlet formed in a flash of light, but something was off.

It felt heavier and more sluggish on my arm, and the jewel on the back of my hand was much more dull than usual.

Was I being affected by the poison, and it was just working slower on me?

I tried to get it to [Boost], but nothing happened.

[Partner, stop. The Sacred Gear won’t respond.]

What? Why not, Ddraig? I need it now!

[The [Boosted Gear] has entered an uncertain state.]

Why now? Tell me what I need to do so that I can use it! I need to protect them!

[You’ve reached a crossroad.] Ddraig’s voice sounded grave. [Through your efforts and training, you have reached a point where one more push will be enough to move to the next stage. But the cross road you are at will determine wether this is a normal power-up or accessing you Balance Breaker.]

So I need to do something to move it one way or the other?

[Simply put, yes. With the choice in front of you of how your path with the [Boosted Gear] will unfold, it will not work until you take a step down one of those routes. Both options will allow you to achieve victory here, but unless a dramatic change in you isn’t made, you will not be able to achieve your Balance Breaker. Even then, it is only a chance that you will attain it. The decision on how to proceed is up to you.]

But what does a ‘dramatic change’ mean?

And what will happen if I choose to go for the normal boost in strength rather than the Balance Breaker?

[If you don’t achieve your Balance Breaker now, I do not know when you will be able to again. It may take weeks, months, or years before this opportunity shows itself again.]

I need to reach my Balance Breaker if I want to become strong enough to continue protecting Buchou and everyone else.

I can’t least this opportunity pass me by, but I can’t let the others become hurt due to it.

As I was struggling to figure out what I needed to do to cause the change in myself, Kuroka seemed to get tired of waiting.

“Ara? Sekiryuutei-kun, are you not going to use your Sacred Gear? Or are you unable to activate it? Well either way, I’m done waiting for you-nyan. Time to start shooting.”

One of Kuroka’s copies stuck out its hand and began to fire bullets of demonic power at Buchou, Koneko-chan and Yuki-san.

Yuki-san and Buchou saw it, but couldn’t move or protect themselves.

The dim white energy surrounding Koneko-chan brightened as she forced herself to move between them and the incoming attacks. 

I couldn’t let them get hurt.

I dashed forward and lifted my arms to shield myself as I blocked the attack with my body.

I let out a cry of pain as the bullets hit me and tore through my uniform, leaving me bruised and battered.

My chest began to bleed from one of the bullets that landed directly.

“Ise…” Buchou murmured.

“Issei-senpai! I can protect them! You need to fight nee-sama!” Koneko-chan shouted.

“You’re affected by the poison too! I'm the only one who is fine, so I’ll protect you until we can figure something out.

Buchou tried to force herself up.

“Buchou, don’t move, the poison will spread further if—“ I was cut off as another demonic power bullet crashed into my side and sent me to the ground.

I gasped for air for a moment before forcing myself back up to my feet.

Kuroka chuckled as her illusions moved closer towards us.

This was looking bad, and I was still no closer to figuring out what I could do to attain my Balance Breaker.

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